Written by Matthew Queen.
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine— Meranda Martin is Southern Maine Community College’s (SMCC) female student-athlete spotlight for April. Martin, a five foot, three inch tall softball player, is the ultimate utility player capable wherever she is needed. Mainly specializing as a pitcher and outfielder, Meranda contributes to the team at the plate, in the field, and on the base paths. “I’m willing to play any position. If coach needs me to play a certain position, I do what’s best for the team.”
A 19-year-old freshmen, Meranda hails from Richmond, Maine and has enjoyed her time at SMCC thus far. Sporting a 4.0 GPA as a nursing major, Martin has a few ideas for transfer after her two years here are up. Her first choice would be the University of Maine at Augusta to obtain a bachelor’s degree in the field. Martin also mentioned Pediatrics as the path within nursing that interests her the most, a specialty she envisions herself pursuing following a bachelor’s degree. Of course, Martin plans to continue her softball career as long as she’s at SMCC. Dating back to her high school career, Martin graduated from Richmond High School as a three sport student-athlete in softball, soccer, and basketball. Her ability to play in all three seasons helped her develop disciplines both on and off the field that she attributes to her success at Southern Maine.
In her spare time, Meranda teaches hitting lessons to four different students. She also works with middle school athletes on instruction of different types of pitching techniques and really enjoys the coaching aspect. Martin is a very family oriented person and likes to hang out at home and lay low when she’s not at practice or busy with school work. Softball has been a huge part of her life, aging back to when she was six years old. Her dad encouraged her to keep playing and that’s what’s helped transition her into the player she is today. Talking about her mind set before games, Meranda mentioned that she doesn’t get nervous and just goes with the flow. “It’s not worth getting nervous, I go into the game knowing we’re going to win. Having a positive attitude and mindset is what keeps me going.” We also talked about the overall goal for the team this year. “We’ve accomplished a lot by coming together as a team. Traveling down to Florida was a new experience for a lot of us, and it helped bond us together as teammates.”
Meranda spoke about how the team performs when it’s game time. She told me that having fun and working together as a team is the overall mentality. Being the captain of the team, a lot of players look up to her and seek advice from her. “I love being a leader. When players lean on me, it only makes me be better in different ways.” Martin loves to win and play the game the right way, helping the team improve and be better than yesterday is her approach.
Talking about how softball has helped shape her life, Meranda said her dad is her biggest role model—always encouraging her and helping her improve. “My dad has really influenced me and helped me with everything I’ve achieved in my life. In addition, my mom is the glue to the family, she never misses a practice or game. I really appreciate that kind of support.” I finally asked Meranda what she likes best about her game—“my hitting.” In Richmond, her grandfather built a hitting sports facility. “I’m always out there, definitely six or seven days out of the week you can find me there.”
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